Method of splicing cables



(No Model.)

J. THOMPSON.

METHOD OF SPLIOING CABLES.

No. 460,407. Patented Sept. 29,1891r UNiTED STATES PATENT OEEIOE.

JOSEPH THOMPSON, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

METHOD OF SPLICING CABLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,407, dated September 29, 1891.

Application iiled April 22, 1890.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH THOMPSON, of Kansas City, IVyandotte county, Kansas,

have invented certain new and useful Im' provements in Methods of Splicing Cables, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to the art of splicing cables; and it consists in the hereinafter-described method of disposing of the strand ends.

The object of my invention is to unite the ends of the pairs of opposing strands in splicing neatly and without decreasing orincreasing the diameter of the same and without weakening the cable; and the invention is especially adapted for use in splicing cables having uniting-strands composed of a number of smaller internal and larger external wires.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, Figure l is a View showing a section of the cable at the completion of the third step in the operation of forming the splice, as hereinafter described, which is the point at which my improvement begins. Fig. 2 is a view showing the wires 'of the strands to be united untwisted. Fig. 3 is a View showing the smaller wires of the strands to be united separated from the larger ones and placed in the vacant score of the cable. Fig. 4 is a View of the cable as it would appear after a portion of the wires of the strands to be united have been secured under the adjacent strands. Fig. 5 is a View showing the cable after the operation has been completed.

In the drawings, A represents the cable, B the core or packing inside of the same around which the strands are wound or twisted, and C2 and C3 the ends of given strands to be united, C being the smaller wires of such strands and C the larger wires thereof.

My method of uniting the ends of a pair of strands is as follows: Preparatory to splicing I first untwist all of the strands fora suitable distance from the ends of the cable and then cut oft the core thus laid bare. The two ends of the cable are then brought together and the free ends of the strands arranged as follows: alternate strands of each end portion are unlaid to different points, thus forming scores of different lengths, and the strands of Serial No. 349,016. (No model.)

each end portion that are not unlaid are carried forward and laid in the scores of the opposing end portion. A section of the cable as it appears at this stage is shown in Fig. l.

I do'not deem it necessary to illustrate the steps just described, as they are well known and form no part of my invention. Next I take the ends O2 and C3 of the strands to be united and bend them at right angles away from the cable, as seen in Fig. l. I then untwist each end, as seen in Fig. 2, separating' the larger wires C from the smaller ones C and bend the smaller ones away from the larger ones. I then lay the smaller ones in the vacant score and intertwine them, as seen in Fig. 3, allowing the free ends to project. I next raise a slight distance the-two adjacent strands on each side of the said Wires thus intertwined and pass the small wires C of one end under strands E and F and the larger ones C of the other end understrands Gand H, as shown in Fig. 4. There are now still two free ends to be disposed of. The strands upon the opposite side of the score filled by the small wires intertwined, as described, corresponding to G H and E F are raised and the said free ends inserted under them, as indicated in Fig. 5, in the same manner that the other ends were secured. After all of the ends are secured the projecting portions are clipped ott. It will be seen that the ends of the small wires of the united strands are inserted together under adjacent strands on opposite sides of the score lled by the said small wires, and the free ends of the larger wires of the said strands are also placed together under strands on opposite sides of the said score. It will thus be seen that four distinct groups are preserved throughout the operation and that they are finally disposed of by being tucked at four different points under the adjacent strands.

I am aware that it is old to bring the ends of the strands together, separate each strand into two groups of wire, and unite two of said groups by tying them together in the vacant score and inserting' all free ends at each end of the splice under the adjacent strands at a point; but it will be understood that if in splicing a cable the strands of which are co nr posed of wires of different sizes this method were used-that is, it the wires were disposed IOO of by tucking under all free ends at each end of the splice at one pointit would become necessary to place both large and small wires together and insert them under adjacent strands at the same point. My invention is designed to obviate the difficulty arising from this method of disposing of the strand ends-that is, to secure the wires more firmlyfor itis obvious that if the small and large wires were together there would be a tendency for the small wires to pull ont.

Another advantage is that by untwisting the wires before intertwining them in the vacant score they can be intertwined more evenly and in such a manner as to better iill the vacant score.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The improvement in the art of splicing cables in which the strands are each composed of a number of smaller internal and larger external Wires, whereby the free ends of given strands are united and the free ends of the wires thereof disposed of, which consists in untwisting the ends of the strands to be united, separating the small Wires from the large ones, laying the said small wires in the Vacant score and intertwining them, inserting the small wires at one end of the score filled by the small wires twisted together under the two adjacent strands on one side of the united strands, inserting the large Wires of the other end under the same strands, and then placing the large wires of the first-mentioned end and the small wires of the other end under the two adjacent strands on the opposite side of the united strands, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Iaftix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

W. E. VANDEWATER, F. E. PELLETE. 

